A Pawn's Passage

With so many Wuists and savage beasts, it was impossible that all of them had a Zaohua-stage cultivation. It seemed that at the most critical moment, Wu Luo and the high-ranking figures of the Ancient Wuist Sect had no longer cared about preserving the mystery of the ascension sanctuary but had instead opened the gates of Lingshan Paradise, allowing large numbers of Wuists who did not meet the requirements to enter in order to resist the Heavenly Sect’s invasion.

The current system of the Daoist Order originated from the Heavenly Sect. Today’s Daoist Order had nine ranks and twelve levels. Even adding the Grand Master, Virtuous Great Sage, Daoist attendants, and Daoist believers, it amounted to merely 16 levels. By contrast, the Heavenly Sect of the past was divided into as many as 36 levels, with ghost soldiers, ghost commanders, and the like. The Grand Heavenly Preceptor stood at the very top of the hierarchy. With the Heavenly Preceptor Governance, the Heavenly Sect resembled an independent nation.

After the collapse of the Heavenly Sect, the Zhengyi Sect suffered a tremendous decline, no longer possessing its former power until the Holy Xuan rebuilt the Daoist Order.

In the thousand-plus years in between, the Zhengyi Sect had recovered greatly, but its mobilization capacity or organizational rigor could not compare with its predecessor, the Heavenly Sect.

As Qi Xuansu traveled along the way, he saw mostly ordinary bones. Under the erosion of time, there was nothing extraordinary left about them. They had long since decayed and would crumble at a single touch.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu discovered the intact remains of an Ancient Witch—dead, yet still standing. This Ancient Witch was over 5 meters tall and had six arms, with bestial traits all over its body, though the battle damage was so severe that its original appearance could no longer be discerned. The Ancient Witch wore simple, archaic armor, but only a few fragments remained, barely hanging on the skeleton.

Qi Xuansu was certain that this was an Ancient Witch at the Pseudo-Immortal stage, one that had arrived at the Lingshan Paradise through a pseudo-ascension ritual of blood sacrifice. That was because blood sacrifice required large amounts of blood, which could be taken from beasts. Thus, the Ancient Witch bore some beastly characteristics.

Qi Xuansu also sensed a familiar aura from the Ancient Witch’s skeleton due to its Manly Immortal lineage.

The Manly Immortal’s True body was different from the Buddhist Golden Body. The former’s key lay in the acupoints and body spirits, which were indestructible if intact. However, if the body spirits were damaged, the Manly Immortal’s physique would no longer be indestructible. After the Manly Immortal’s death, no complete body would remain. By contrast, the Buddhist Golden Body was strong on the outside but hollow within. After death, a shell of the body could still remain, appearing outwardly intact, though it was usually empty inside.

This Ancient Witch was more inclined toward the Martial Arts Practitioner Lineage.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu intended to study it carefully. He examined the Ancient Witch’s remains in detail. After so many years, its bones were still hard, like steel. Qi Xuansu tried to pry them with his hand, but they did not budge in the slightest. Though he dared not use too much force, these remains were far stronger than the ordinary bones on the ground that would crumble at a touch.

However, there was still residual lightning on the Ancient Witch’s remains. When Qi Xuansu touched them, a cluster of sparks instantly exploded. Immediately afterward, the visions of the 36 Thunder Gods manifested at the positions of the skeleton’s acupoints.